Rurouni Kenshin: Shattered Oaths
by Shiguru
Summary: A single deal that could change Japanese government and trade forever, A forgien assasssin of legendary skill, How are Japan's best warriors caught in this?


Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin it is the property of its lord and master. And if he's not selling then he's gonna keep it. Besides if they sued me all they'd get are some kidneys and maybe a liver.  
  
Notes: -Jinchuu arc never happened. -No "Son of God" arc -No "Water Clan" arc -Everything in the anime after Kyoto arc (including filler) -After the movie -Alternate Universe  
  
Shiguru and Mr.Jacobs present  
  
Rurouni Kenshin:  
Shattered Oaths  
  
Chapter 1: Strangers and mysteries  
  
Staggering through the path, Kenshin Himura was covered in blood, most of it his own. His breath was ragged from overexertion and his eyes unfocused and red from tears that slid down his cheeks. Walking slowly to a tree he sat half crouched. He had been running for the last two days, no food and barely any water. His sword wounds were still open and failing to heal themselves because of the abuse he forced on his body by running so much. Barely sleeping if at all, his pink gi looked old and ragged, torn at the edges with large gashes in the fabric revealed straight lacerations that could only come from a blade of sorts. His eyes lost their violet luster and were now an unfocused sky blue staring into nothingness. As he sat, he let his breathing slow as he clutched his sheath so desperately that his knuckles turned to a solid white. His adrenaline started to waver after 40 hours of consistent use and he felt the pain in his body from his previous battle. He couldn't let anyone find him. He knew the others were looking for him. After what just happened he could never face them, not after what they saw. Not after what he did. He got up and let out a small grunt as his body opposed the stress. Ignoring it as best he could, Kenshin started walking at a frenzied pace once again, never bothering to slow down.  
  
A few hours later the sun dawned over the mountains and reflected off the morning dew. It was a beautiful sight for anyone who stopped to take it in. Sadly, only one person was around when it happened. Though he would usually stop and drink in the sight, his mind was in too much chaos and body too unforgiving to stop. Kenshin somehow ignored the blisters on his feet and the pain in his legs from the lactic acid buildup. He hasn't stopped to rest since the previous path. He had no clue as to where he was going but he didn't care as long as he didn't have to see their faces looking at him like that again. He hated what had happened to him. Looking ahead he saw another couple walking along the road. He stopped in his tracks. Kenshin looked like he saw a ghost as the medicine seller walked off... with his wife ten steps behind him. Kenshin couldn't stand it anymore and fell to his knees clutching his sheath for support. Fresh tears and sobs racked his body, his only word being an almost inaudible "Tomoe".  
  
Getting up after his emotional breakdown, he staggered into the woods until he found a sturdy tree to rest with. He cut some strips from his pink gi and made some shoddy dressings for his sword wounds. Leaning back against the tree he looked up into the sky that matched his current eyes filled with confusion and violence. His thoughts swirling around the field of chaos that was his mind. The blood and chaos of the revolution were the only thoughts going through his head right now as he tried so hard to think of something else. He tried thinking of how he got into this mess and how something like this started.  
  
Weeks Earlier  
  
The sound of people laughing at the state department dinner was light and pleasant to the patrons there, as the world seemed to stop for them. All hassles of running the government and pleasing the masses gone as they simply ate, danced and had one night they could all enjoy. Food from all over the world was displayed upon the tables of the ballroom, from German chocolate cake to sweet and sour pork from Shanghai. Music from the many number of musicians let out sweet melodies that allowed one to dance or forget their troubles by simply listening. Everyone was having a joyous time except for three men sitting at a table near the corner of the ballroom.  
  
They were dressed in formal suits and had calm but hard eyes as they discussed something of obvious importance. Of the three there was a slightly balding man who obviously led the group discussion; he seemed to be in his late 40s and was tall but had a heavy build to him. He used his hands to accentuate each word he spoke as he looked at his two counterparts.  
  
A smaller man of a shorter and more muscular build sat to the side of the round table watching his two business associates discuss the grounds for their deal. He seemed to be slightly nervous but not a pushover by any means if the scars on his hands told you anything about him. From his stature it was obvious this man was former military before claiming his current government position that linked him to the meeting. Sweat started to form on his brow as he looked at the third and most confident of the three.  
  
His short reddish-brown hair was pushed back by the back of his hand so as he could get a better view of the larger man's eyes. The man's hard brown eyes met his own silver orbs, which stared right back at him unwavering at all. He was rather tall and in a very unusual twist had a much more defined and powerful build than men in his profession usually had. His face was unwavering when it came to business, it was stone cold except for his eyes which seemed to see your next move or guess your reaction as you do it; it was hard to refuse a proposal with those eyes staring into your own.  
  
"Tell me Rokuji. Can you get this shipment into the country or not?" The larger man said with a slight hint of anger towards the man opposite of him.  
  
"Of course I can. But you have a somewhat of a big problem with paying your business partners. History proves they usually end up with about 30 stab wounds when they come to collect. So if I know you might try to kill me rather than pay me the full amount, why bother with a man like Toma Higaku?" Rokuji answered, with his silver eyes never faltering as he stared at the large man in front of him.  
  
"Because I cannot kill you and not suddenly get the government involved rather than just the police. Once they find the corpse of a well- respected Korean trader in a river somewhere floating down stream, the Meiji Government will come after me because of this meeting." He said to Rokuji before turning to the man to his left "Right Emoshina-san?"  
  
"Ah, the issues with being a yakuza leader. How nice organized crime can be when it owes you a favor." Rokuji said with a smile. "Its so reassuring to me that you care enough to let me live through this transaction because of the fear of execution from the Meiji Imperialists. It warms my heart."  
  
Watsuki Emoshina stayed quiet through the argument between the trader/smuggler and the yakuza leader. But he was fascinated while watching it, and he didn't know why. The two simply stared at each other once more. Rokuji was still wearing his smirk while Higaku was looking pretty mean. Emoshina was starting to get worried for Rokuji-kun, he'd seen what Higaku could do when he's mad, and it wasn't pretty.  
  
"Listen here you bastard, and listen real well." Toma Higaku lowered his voice and said with a sneer. "I've had it up to here with your stupid comments and little insults all throughout this meeting. If you had any kind of sense whatsoever you would shut up right now. I'm paying a lot of money for this deal, so you'd better show me a little more respect in my own country."  
  
"Why should I sell to you when I can simply go to any other yakuza boss and make this deal? Or even go to some of my regular customers in Okinawa, rather than deal with a man who has insulted me ever since I have sat down at this table?" Rokuji calmly replied after pulling his watch out and checking the time. "So if you still want your opium, I can get it to you, but only if you show me a little more respect in this country owned by a corrupted government. And I thought China had it bad." He put away the watch and grabbed his coat as get got up to leave.  
  
"Now then, if you'll excuse me gentlemen, I'll see you again before the shipment arrives. I do hope you have the payment in order Higaku. It would be a shame for me to look for another buyer for this quality product from the heart of Beijing. Farewell." He said as he walked off and out of the ballroom and building.  
  
The temperature was slightly chilly as Yun Rokuji stepped outside of the state department building. Pulling out a cigarette and striking a match against his gloved hand, he lit the end and gave a puff as the sticks orange glow proved it had a life of its own. A slight smile crept across his features as he took another puff of the stick. Looking around it was amazing how much times had changed. He hasn't been here in 5 years. It was sad how often he visited his birthplace in Aizu; he really loved this country, too. Walking out of the gates, he let his smirk form again as he decided to play some games with the two yakuza assassins following his every move. 'They always lie and try to kill me. Damn yakuza.' He thought as he walked on. He felt sorry for the two assassins who had to die for fools like Higaku.  
  
After a good hour of walking the night streets of Tokyo, Yun wanted to sleep. He saw his escape route a few meters ahead of him in the form of a dark alleyway. Quickening his pace he slipped between the two buildings. The yakuza followed him into the alley, to see him sitting down on a discarded crate, finishing another cigarette. They knew now was the time to get rid of this man. Slipping into the alleyway silently, they never made any kind of sound; as they got within arms reach of the trader, they heard him speak one word before feeling a lot of pain.  
  
"Now." Was the only word Rokuji said before two hidden guards came out and jumped the yakuza. After a few minuets of roughing, the two would- be assassins up with their bare hands, they unmasked them and pinned them to the ground. Yun wasn't going to let this opportunity of information pass him up. Removing his coat and walking over to the two pinned down yakuza, he drew a wakizashi and stared at them with his piercing sliver eyes.  
  
"You will tell me everything I want to know if you want to survive." Were his only words before they told him everything he asked for.  
  
The forest was peaceful and serene as the morning sun shone through the forest, creating a nice effect as it reflected off the morning dew. The rustling of leaves and the snaps of twigs could be heard as one man stood in the middle of a clearing. Sanosuke Sagara stood, feet planted in his standard fighting pose, as his eyes were closed and body relaxed, playing the same scenario over and over in his mind. Obviously focusing intently on something in his head. His breathing was deep and calming, just like the exercises Captain Sagara taught him in his younger days, but he rarely used them since he was never the type to meditate, he was too impatient.  
  
His relaxed form quickly disappeared as his eyes shot open and left hand shot out into a devastatingly fast punch into a tree trunk. Sano's left fist seemed to vibrate after the impact, which caused the trunk to instantly explode into splinters, branches and dust.  
  
"Ah, so you finally mastered the Futae no Kiwame with your left hand this time, that you did." A man with a small, slender build entered the clearing with a smile on his face, his pink gi and white hakama flowing in the gentle breeze.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm surprised it took a week. It's taking a lot longer to get it down than it did with my right hand." Sano quipped as he looked at his right hand, which was stated as healed by Megumi a few days ago. Looking towards Kenshin, he saw something in his hand. "What's that ya got there Kenshin?"  
  
"Oro?" Kenshin said before looking at his hand revealing a washcloth. "Oh, I just finished the morning laundry before coming here to see how you were coming along with your training."  
  
Kenshin handed Sano the cloth and he wiped his forehead with it before setting it down near his jacket on the tree stump next to him. Looking down at Kenshin, he gave a smirk.  
  
"Jou-chan sent you, didn't she?" Sano asked with the smirk still on his face. That woman was like a younger sister to him. Always worrying and always nagging, but he also knew she looked up to him somehow and for some reason he couldn't understand.  
  
"No, Megumi-dono sent me this time. I would have come anyway, though, since you were exhausted last time you tried this, that you were." Kenshin smiled at Sano's reaction to Megumi's name; it was a look of surprise that seemed unusual on his face, since Sano is rarely surprised with news like that, after all. Sano quickly recovered and registered the rest of the comment.  
  
"That was yesterday Kenshin, and it paid off big time. Watch this!" As soon as Sanosuke finished, he pulled his left fist back and punched a rock, once again the fist vibrated and totally destroyed it. Sano wiped the blood from his knuckles and smiled at the rurouni. "Damn that's a nice feeling."  
  
"Impressive, that it is Sano. But why are you training so hard all of a sudden?"  
  
"I don't know, ever since you told me Saitoh was still out there, I wanted to finish our fight from before we went to Kyoto. So I figured if I'm gonna win in a fair fight, I have to work on the Futae no Kiwame with the rest of my body. Besides, if I'm good enough with it, I might be able to even beat you." Sano answered with his trademark smirk.  
  
"Perhaps you will be able to." Kenshin stated without a hint of anger or jealousy in his voice. "Will you be around for lunch?"  
  
"Yeah, I shouldn't be here too much longer; I haven't had any sleep since sunset last night."  
  
Kenshin quickly turned around with wide eyes as he saw Sanosuke. The person known for sleeping and napping all the time not getting any sleep seemed very alien to him. He got over his surprise pretty quickly and started back into the forest until he was out of sight. Sanosuke smiled to himself and sat down on the stump of what remained of the small tree he destroyed with his left fist. The smile quickly faded as his head snapped around after the sound of a snapping twig caught his ears. Quickly realizing what was occurring, he jumped up and got into his fighting stance. Locking eyes with his opponent as he rushed forward.  
  
THWACK! The sound of bamboo colliding at high speeds resonated throughout the wooden halls of the Kamiya Kashin Dojo, as a well-built woman focused on her opponent with steady eyes and breath. She had an aura of control and power about her that would impress many a sword master. Lowering her stance slightly to allow for more power in a forward dash giving her opponent the obvious that she would go for an offensive stance in this duel. The young man across from her had eyes filled with determination and a perfect emotionless face that concealed anything that gave his strategy away. The woman saw that the young man was ready and dashed forward with a war cry.  
  
The young man saw her left side swing from a mile away and moved his shinai to the side in a simple block only to be surprised when the woman dropped lower and shot her own shinai into an upward arc. The young man jumped back in time to dodge the strike, but his landing was uncoordinated, leaving him off balance. Looking at her opponent, the woman noticed and ran forward to capitalize on the other's mistake. Quickly snapping into a forward dash to close the distance between the two, she brought down her weapon in a downward arc, which had the speed to cause a whistle as it flowed through the air toward her sparring partner. Thwack! The young man raised his own weapon and expertly blocked the blow from his opponent. Close quarters were his specialty as he fought the woman on equal ground now that they were less than a meter apart. Shinai clashed as the young man kept on the offensive, trying to give himself time to think of a strategy to win this match; the woman was trying to do the exact same thing as both looked for weaknesses in each other's technique.  
  
The young man saw an opening on her left side where she rarely guarded and decided to take it. With a scream, he ducked under the woman's sideswipe and swung his weapon horizontally with great force at the unguarded area of his opponent. The young woman reacted quickly after the missed swing and brought the bamboo sword down with no time to spare. The resulting sounds were an unusual mix of smacking hard bone with the groans of pain from both recipients of the blows. The woman looked at the young man with a smile on her face.  
  
"Good job, Yahiko. You seemed to have won today." She said with a slight smile before her pretty features turned hard. "But did you have to hit me that hard?!"  
  
"Serves you right, old hag. I finally won a match between us when you weren't thinking about Kenshin. A real victory should be felt by the loser." Yahiko Myojin said with a triumphant smile, while rubbing the back of his head. The son of a samurai never admits he's in true pain after a battle was the only thing going through his mind as he said his victory speech.  
  
"Your right. And as assistant master, Kaoru Kamiya, I owe you an award. Like sweeping the steps and cleaning the floors while I start lunch." Kaoru said as she left a dumbfounded Yahiko sitting on the dojo floor.  
  
'Damn her and her chores. Kenshin should be doing this today, not me.' Yahiko thought as he swept the walkway to the dojo. He was really proud of his victory over his sensei for once, since it was the first time both were actually trying in a fight in a long time... since Kyoto last year. Kaoru had always seemed focused on something else recently, or when she wasn't, Yahiko was doing the same for different reasons. A lot of things have happened since Kenshin and the others came to the dojo: from some of the greatest fighters in Japan arriving to Tokyo to meet the legendary Battousai, to political officials asking him to save the country, to Kaoru taking in several students on her own time. Even terrorist attacks from two former members of the Sekihoutai occurred and would not have happened if Kenshin hadn't arrived here almost a year ago.  
  
But he had, and he helped the lives of many people since then. The Kamiya dojo retained it's honor, Yahiko left the yakuza circuit, Sanosuke saw the truth about his decisions and became Kenshin's best friend afterwards, Megumi tried to repent from her sins as an opium maker, he even helped former top criminals see the errors in their ways. All of these acts were done with a refusal to kill any human being again after what he did during the revolution as a hitokiri, supposedly the strongest of them, known as the Battousai. It was amazing how people can change after so long.  
  
Yahiko was surprised to see the front doors opening and a short, red- haired man with a slender and thin frame enter the dojo grounds. He had a bright look in his violet eyes as he walked through the sturdy wooden entrance. Closing the door behind him, he greeted Yahiko before Kaoru came out with her apron still on.  
  
"Kenshin! You're here a little early, aren't you?" Kaoru asked, staring at him with a slightly confused expression. She walked up to him and suddenly her transformed from a beautiful, serene look of joy to a sneer of question. "You didn't skip out on Megumi, did you?"  
  
"Oro?" Kenshin asked as he backed way. "No, I visited Sano before I went to the clinic to help Dr. Gensai and Megumi-dono out-" he started before Kaoru's face turned into one of concern in an instant.  
  
"You saw Sanosuke? How is he and what the hell has he been doing these past few days? We haven't seen the guy in almost a week!" she asked after grabbing Kenshin's collar and shaking him violently, only causing a few more "oro's" to be the response.  
  
"Let go of Kenshin and he might answer, you old hag!" Yahiko commanded as he pushed Kaoru away from the rurouni. She stared at him with angry eyes that would make most men back away in fright. Yahiko was not in the same category as most men would be, however. Staring back with equal anger, they quickly traded insults between each other.  
  
"Maa, maa there is no reason to fight, that there is not." Kenshin butted in, just before the fight escalated to Kaoru forcing Yahiko to do some chores that even Kenshin went out of his way to avoid.  
  
"Then tell us about Sanosuke. What was he doing for the last week?" Kaoru asked once again.  
  
"He's been up in the forest training really hard on the Futae no Kiwame with his left hand. He finally got it, too. He was supposed to come down today for lunch. He didn't show up?"  
  
"No, nobody arrived today other than Tae-chan, asking where he was a few hours ago. Maybe he forgot." Kaoru answered with a slightly worried look in her eyes. Yahiko was getting a lot more worried about his friend, however.  
  
"No, he couldn't have forgotten about it. He never skips out on a free meal. Either he got a meal with someone else, or something happened to him."  
  
Kenshin looked at the young man with a surprised look on his face. He was right; Sanosuke Sagara would never skip out on a free meal. Something must have happened to Sano. Maybe he arrived at the clinic after Kenshin had left. The former hitokiri turned on the balls of his feet and quickly moved out of the dojo, towards Gensai's clinic. He hoped Megumi had seen him, or maybe one of his gambling buddies. Someone had to have seen his best friend.  
  
As Sanosuke ran forward to meet his 3 attackers, they scattered in different directions. He wanted a fair fight, but instead, he got a bunch of bastard assassins to deal with. Turning his head, he saw one draw a katana and rush toward him. Looking at the black outfits they wore, it was obvious they were shinobi, but he couldn't tell where they were from or why. Before Sanosuke could think any further, he dodged the blade going inches toward his face. Using his opponent's momentum to his advantage, he brought his knee up and into the stomach of his opponent, launching him a few inches upward and off the ground. At the peak of his upward journey he brought his left elbow down to the base of the assassin's neck, sending him back down to the ground with a groan and a muffled thump as he hit the earth.  
  
The other two were visibly shaken by how easily the unarmed fighter took down their comrade. Their unmasked faces also showed their anxiety to Sanosuke, who simply smiled.  
  
"Who's next?" was all he said before turning to greet his newest opponent, brandishing a yari (1), and headed straight for him. Jumping to the left to avoid the forward lunge of the weapon, Sano delivered a powerful side blade kick to the other man's kidney, by which he emitted a scream of pain as he fell from the force of the blow. As he tried to get up from the previous blow to his kidney, the last of the assassins came at Sano brandishing a kamatari (2), swinging the weight above his head before throwing it at the fighters legs. Sanosuke barely jumped back in time, as he underestimated the effect the momentum of the spin would have on speed of the chain. The log below him was smashed to splinters at the force of the weight shooting into it. The previous shinobi got up at that moment and held his yari before him, readying another strike. Sano's hazel eyes kept switching from the two assassins as they waited for him to make a move for them to capitalize on. Sano was no fool when it came to fighting, and he knew he had to play this one defensively if he wanted to survive.  
  
After a few minutes of waiting for an attack the assassin, with the kamatari threw the kama end at the fighter. Jumping back, he dodged the swinging blade's side arc, but he wasn't fast enough, as blood started to drip from a large cut across his chest. Sano frowned as he noticed it. He was surprised how sharp the blade was; it didn't cause him any pain as it cut through his chest. Now he knew that could only be done by the finest of blades. Now he was getting to know that these guys had some money or were working for someone with money. His thoughts didn't last for very long as he deftly dodged a slash from a yari blade aimed for his temple. The shinobi got mad and started to blindly thrust his spear at Sanosuke, who in turn easily dodged each strike. Sanosuke was getting tired of this game, as he grabbed the staff section of the yari and pulled it towards himself, knocking the man behind the blade off balance and staggering into the former gangster waiting for him with a fresh fist. He smiled at the expression on the assassin's face that screamed "oh shit", as he saw the inevitable.  
  
Sanosuke's renowned iron fists never made it to their desired destination, however, when an iron weight collided with his forearm and wrapped itself around his elbow. The spearman saw his opportunity and head- butted Sano with all of his strength. While it barely fazed the former gangster known as Zanza he was knocked off balance, and in turn, yanked towards the man with the kamatari. The scythe flew forward at high speed while Sano stumbled towards the man, leaving him unguarded for a perfect killing blow. Sano saw the scythe and tried to duck only missing the blade by inches and to be pulled back up by his elbow, which was still wrapped tightly in iron chain. Grabbing the chain that was attached to his arm, Sanosuke Sagara yanked back hard enough to throw the man forward flat on his face and letting go of the weapon in mid air. After he removed the chain from his arm, he heard a yell emit from someone behind him; he turned to see a sharp 3-pronged blade going towards his eyes. Moving his head to one side, he felt part of the blade cut him under his left eye and across his cheek. He frowned and let out a light hiss in pain before giving the spearman a right hook. The punch wasn't very powerful for the former gangster known as Zanza, but it managed to get the job done, as the shinobi spit out a tooth before catching a hard straight right hand to his solar plexus and passing out.  
  
"I have to give you guys credit. Your pretty good to strike blood on me, but you still have a lot to learn about fighting." He said as he looked at the last man standing, still clutching his kamatari and looking directly into the fighter's eyes. They stared at one another for a little while before the assassin charged and threw the weight of the kamatari directly at his opponent.  
  
"Try a different approach!" Sano screamed, as he pulled his right fist back and slammed it into the weight before his fist vibrated and shattered it and most of the chain behind it as well. The assassin stopped in awe of the Futae no Kiwame in use; his mouth hung open as Sanosuke rushed him and delivered several quick and powerful punches to his torso. After coughing up some of his own blood, the last of Sanosuke's opponents' fell to the ground unconscious.  
  
"What a way to start one's day. A little training and then a failed assassination attempt on you always wakes me up. Aw hell, might as well take these guys to the station. Maybe I can still make it for lunch at Jou- chan's." He said as he surveyed the area. As he picked all three unconscious men off the earth without much effort, if any at all, he started to leave the forest to go to the Tokyo police.  
  
"Where are my men?" Toma Higaku, leader of the Senryuu yakuza group blared, as he looked at his son and second in command. They had only taken power in the last few years of the revolution but had quickly grown with their unofficial ties to the Meiji government. They dealt with shakedowns and assassinations for the Meiji era, while in return, are allowed to conduct their business and quickly becoming very powerful because of their influence in trading.  
  
"They just arrived; they are in the care of Seiji." Gendou Higaku said, looking at his high and mighty father. He wanted to be more like him and to be accepted by him as an equal, rather than just a son, so he forced himself through the ranks himself and knew that after all this time, he would have the respect the rest of his high-ranking members had.  
  
"Why are they with Seiji? Were they injured when killing him?"  
  
"Actually sir, Ken died, and Makoto is still unconscious. Seiji isn't sure if he'll make it through the night. It was better Ken died anyway, since if he survived he would never move his legs again. Makoto has a lot of deep gashes all over his torso and only whispered gibberish before passing out on the futon in the infirmary." Gendou replied, not looking his father in the eyes. "There was this letter for you tucked in Makoto's sash when he was found. It's covered in blood so I don't know if it's still legible, though."  
  
Toma quickly grabbed the letter and read it to himself:  
  
Higaku,  
  
Your men weren't really necessary for killing me were they? They were a waste of good help, if you ask me. It took them a while to give me the information I wanted, but nothing like a good sharp blade and a change in your tone to get some information. I have met too many like you in the past to not know every trick: Poisoning tea, fire ants in bed, whores with hidden daggers. I've seen it all and walked away. Who am I kidding? Black market smuggling lets you meet the most interesting dishonest people.  
  
Now, I am willing to let this go and still give you your shipment of opium, if you pay a little more. Think of it as a business expense for treating my wounds from your assassins' kodachi. The meeting place still stands. Bring the money and let's just do this. Unless you'd rather try to kill me again, but then I'd have to show you what kind of network I can run. So if you don't want a gang war, just come and meet me.  
  
-Yun Rokuji  
  
Toma slammed his fist down on the table and let out a small growl. How dare someone insult him like that!? He was a powerful man who could kill him in an instant! But the bastard Korean was right, he needed this shipment or else many a distributor in Kyoto would be unhappy. He would let this slide until word of him returning to Japan comes through.  
  
"What is wrong father?" Gendou asked, walking towards Toma, who just handed him the letter. Gendou read it and started to become angry at this; Rokuji-someone coming out and insulting his father like that. "What do we do?"  
  
"We do what he says and then wait. But if he ever comes within 200 yards of Tokyo again, we kill him and make sure it hurts." Toma said solemnly to his son. Gendou understood and walked off.  
  
Toma sat down and reviewed the letter and sighed. He hated foreigners, always have. They have no honor and are fools. But this Rokuji was something else; he didn't know who he was, but behind his fancy western suits and sly smile, he was something else. He called in his top agents to find out anything they could about him. He had to know who he was behind the mask.  
  
Megumi Takani ran alongside of Kenshin, through the path leading to the clearing in which Kenshin last saw his best friend. Ever since hearing that nobody had seen him since Kenshin's visit this morning, she decided to help him search for their friend. As she ran with the kenshi (3), her dark emerald locks flowed behind her as he proved how in shape she really is by easily keeping up with Kenshin as they ran along the path. The rurouni's left turn startled her, but she followed him to a small clearing in the forest. Both called Sano's name but received no answer. Megumi searched around and found their friend's jacket with the symbol for "bad" etched across it. She picked it up and called for him again.  
  
"There was a battle here." Kenshin muttered to himself as he surveyed the area.  
  
"What makes you say that, Ken-san?" Megumi asked as she looked up from her scanning the area.  
  
"There are 3 weapons simply discarded," Kenshin said as he picked up the kama end of a kamatari "And this one apparently cut through flesh. But the other end was shattered, as if Sano's Futae no Kiwame was used on the counter weight. There are also three sets of footprints here but the area is so dense it's hard to tell where they go."  
  
"Well, I found this." Megumi said as she held up the jacket she had in her arms. Kenshin frowned, nobody had been here for hours. The blood on the kamatari was dried, and the footprints didn't look fresh at all. Now the jacket was unusual. Sano often forgot his jacket at times, but he always noticed it in at least half and hour or so. This information, combined with his skipping of a meal, proved this wasn't your average battle.  
  
"Maybe the police heard something about it. We should go to the station and see what they have." Kenshin stated, as he looked at Megumi, who nodded as they walked out of the clearing and back on the path into the city.  
  
"Oi, where is the damn station again?" Sanosuke Sagara said, as he walked down the street. People tried not to look at him, but he looked just a little strange, carrying 3 full grown men wearing shinobi outfits and walking through the streets of Tokyo. One in each arm and another on his back, he slowly trudged along, his stomach growling along the road. It was always rumored Sano had a bad sense of direction; now it's been proven once again, as he passes by the same corner stand. What's worse, he had some good size wounds that were starting to hurt, and he forgot his jacket. He would be open for the elements if the unconscious assassin's body heat didn't keep him comfortable. He finally reached the police station with little time to spare, as he walked in and proclaimed a citizen arrest on these three attackers and some questioning to be performed as well. Only to be met with blank stares from two old women and a slender police officer who looked no more than sixteen behind the desk. After a few moments of awkward silence and unusually loud sounds of blinking, the two women shrugged and walked out of the station as two fully uniformed officers came into view and took the men off of Sanosuke's shoulders (literally and figuratively), dragging them into a holding cell.  
  
A third officer named Hogashi, if Sano remembered correctly, came into view, and told him to come back tomorrow to witness the interrogation of the three suspects now in custody. After thanking Sano for his arrest, he handed shook his hand and went back to other important business. Sano on the other hand, started shivering and wondered where his jacket was, before opening the door and walking outside and seeing two familiar faces.  
  
"Sanosuke." Kenshin and Megumi uttered in surprise. He looked like hell, he was dirty, his posture was slumped, his right elbow was discolored and he had some nasty cuts on his face and chest. But Sanosuke just smiled and waved.  
  
"Megumi, Kenshin. Did I miss dinner yet? I'm starving, I haven't eaten in almost two days, now that I think about it."  
  
Both of Sano's friends looked at him with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. A sweat drop formed on Kenshin and Megumi's heads as well. They quickly recovered as Sanosuke took his jacket from Megumi's arm, however.  
  
"Oh, Kitsune found my jacket. I didn't notice I lost it until I dropped those bastards off at the police station." Sanosuke started until he looked at Megumi. "What's wrong?" he asked when he saw her gaze on him. Megumi suddenly looked angry when she heard the question.  
  
"Look at you! Your knuckles are swollen and bleeding, you have an open and bleeding wound on your chest, your entire right arm is discolored, blood is coming down your cheek and you come out asking about dinner above all things? What the hell is wrong with you, Sanosuke Sagara!" She screamed. Sano backed off and raised his hands in protest after that argument.  
  
"Megumi, why are you so worried all of a sudden?" Sano shot back only because he was too hungry and tired to think of anything good. But the question caught Megumi off guard and she looked away while she contemplated the answer. Sano, on the other hand, thinking the argument was over, walked over to Kenshin.  
  
"So, is Jou-chan still cooking tonight? I don't even care 'cause I could eat anything right now." Sano joked with Kenshin as the two walked off. Megumi caught up with them as they were walking away, even though she was silent all of a sudden.  
  
"I believe she is, that I do. All of us were worried when nobody heard anything about you since when we talked in the clearing this morning."  
  
"Well, I'll tell you guys what happened during dinner. Then I'll go to the clinic with Megumi and get patched up." Sanosuke remarked, as his stomach growled audibly in agreement. "That's right, guy, I'm putting you first again. A man has to keep his priorities straight."  
  
Megumi couldn't help but smile; Sano wasn't dumb by any means, but he was a simple man with a tough exterior and a big heart, who seemed to make everyone around him smile intentionally or not. It was something she always enjoyed about him, no matter how bad a mood is, he can always brighten it up. It was a trait he shared with Kenshin, which was probably one of the reasons they became best friends so quickly.  
  
As they walked down the path of the Kamiya dojo, Kaoru was relived and worried to see Sanosuke walk through the door. He looked like hell and there was blood on his face and chest, but he had a bright smile on his face as soon as he caught a whiff of something cooking.  
  
"Oi, Jou-chan. I hope you made a lot because I could eat just about anything right now." He smiled. Kaoru couldn't help but smile as well. He just had that effect on people. She looked to the setting sun and responded.  
  
"Yeah, I knew you would come back, and we were all worried when you missed lunch, so Kenshin went looking for you." She said before quickly taking a look at his wounds "What happened to you out there?" "I'll tell you when the food is ready. Then I'll get patched up and sleep for a week." He smiled again, before walking over and sitting down on the porch.  
  
"Well, I just started so it'll be a while. Why don't you let Megumi take a look at you inside?" Kaoru offered when looking at Megumi, who smiled and nodded. Sano agreed as he was dragged into the house.  
  
Kenshin stayed outside, however, and decided to sit down and relax before he ate. He sat looking at the setting sun washing its rays over the clouds and earth below, when he felt a presence with his honed senses from Hiten Mitsurugi. Turning around, he slowly walked toward the edge of the dojo grounds with his hand over the sheath of his sakabatou, his violet eyes scanning the surrounding area like a fine-toothed comb. Kaoru walked outside and saw the rurouni staring out into what looked like nothing.  
  
"Kenshin! Are you coming in or not?" She shouted. Kenshin instantly jumped almost three feet in the air with surprise as she called out. Turning his head to see who just startled him, he jumped again when he saw Kaoru looking at him with worried eyes.  
  
'I made her worry.' Was the thought going through his head, as he stared into her eyes. "I'll be right in, Kaoru-dono, don't worry." He said, before turning his head slightly and examining the area and heading into the dojo.  
  
As the door shut the man behind the gate let out a repressed sigh; he was almost caught, and that meant death on his part. He wasn't much for seppuku, but he would do it if he were caught. He knew too much about his boss's plan to stay alive and risk revealing anything. While he did know a lot about the general plot, he did not know why he was sent to spy on this place in particular, as it had nothing to do with the proposed plan his boss had made. Deciding it would be foolish to stay put, he got up and started to walk away on the deserted Tokyo street.  
  
"Ow! That hurts, woman!" Sanosuke yelled, as Megumi applied disinfectant on his chest. Her brow lowered at the comment, but she kept her mouth shut and kept working. He let out a small hiss as she rubbed it in the wound.  
  
"How can you complain about pain like this when you just got your chest sliced open?" She questioned him with a frustrated look on her face "I have had patients who almost lose their limbs complain less than you, Sanosuke."  
  
"The wound didn't even hurt until I was halfway to the station, carrying those guys. And now you're rubbing hellfire into it, when a simple wrap would work fine."  
  
"It would if you wanted an infection. You left your wound open for hours, Sano. There is no telling what could have gotten into it." Megumi stated with a look of concern on her face. Sano, taken aback by the look in her eyes, was caught off guard with the sudden change to frustration "Now sit down and quit your complaining, or I could put something in there that would make it worse than hellfire. Ohohohohoh!" Sano could just imagine a pair of fox ears on the top of her head as she said that, but he obeyed.  
  
Kenshin sat down and was watching Ayame and Suzume playing in the middle of the floor with a smile on his face. He liked watching the sheer innocence of them as they played like this, something he was robbed of a child himself. His childhood was filled with painful memories and grisly determination to change the world for the better. First the death of Ayame Sakura and Kasumi who died protecting him from the slave driver's blades and telling him to live on, a promise he was forced to adhere to twice in his lifetime. Then he came, with his flowing cape and sword skills, Hiko Seijuro XIII, his shishou and a man he thought of as a father. His training was brutal but effective, but Kenshin was a quick learner and almost mastered the Hiten Mitsurugi style of sword fighting in a few short years, but they were mostly pleasant memories. When he thought of some of the times he and he shishou had, a smile came to his face: the first time he tasted sake on his tongue, his first fishing trip, his first cooking experiment. Hiko taught him so much. But what did he do to repay his shishou? He left to fight in a war that would topple the Tokugawa Shogunate. He always wondered what would happen if he stayed when he should have, what kind of man he would have become, obviously he would be Hiko Seijuro XIV, but what else would life have thrown at him?  
  
"Brother Ken! Kaoru says the food is ready! Come on!" Suzume cried out, snapping Kenshin out of his thoughts.  
  
"Yes, come on! Come on!" Ayame cried out after Suzume was finished. Kenshin couldn't help but smile at the way they did that. Their optimism and innocence touched even Aoshi Shinomori. 'Maybe all warriors who spilled so much blood could do well by watching the innocence of children playing.' Kenshin thought as he got up to join the others for dinner.  
  
"Maa, maa. I heard you, I heard you. Let's go eat, then." Kenshin said as he picked Ayame up and walked in to the table. Everyone was already sitting down and talking, except for Sanosuke and Yahiko, who were stuffing themselves at their respective speeds. Kaoru smiled, seeing Kenshin enter the room and put Ayame down, as she rushed over and started to eat with the rest of them. Kenshin sat down and smiled as well, just happy to be with his family, which he cared for a great deal. After a few minutes of constant eating, Sano put his chopsticks down and let in a huge gasp of air, since he had been too busy eating to think about insignificant things like breathing. The sudden rush of air made his eyes water in thanks for the mercy he decided to show his body, before he accidentally got a piece of rice caught in his throat.  
  
His coughing was aided by Yahiko smacking his back until it subsided and things went back to normal. Kenshin finally decided Sano had enough food to start talking about the earlier incidents this morning. Taking a short breath, he looked at Sanosuke.  
  
"Sano. What exactly happened the morning after I left?"  
  
"Wha? Oh, that." Everyone face faulted at Sano's comment. "Well, after you left, I decided to take a breather before heading out myself. When I turned, there were three guys wearing full ninja gear, brandishing weapons, ready to strike, obviously out to kill with no questions asked. So of course, since I'm not a wuss, I decided to take them all on." Megumi smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand after that last line. "What? I won, didn't I?"  
  
"That's not the point, baka!" Yahiko shouted. "Now what else happened?"  
  
"Listen kid, nobody asked you. Anyways, during the fight, one of the guys managed to cut me." He pointed to his chest and traced along the cloth bandage covering the wound. "But the weird thing was how the guys skills weren't that great, but the quality of their weapons was amazing. The kamatari that cut through here was so sharp it barley touched me, and it left such a long gash. I barely felt the thing it was so well made. Whoever these guys are working for had some serious money, or was a swordsmith. And I doubt it was the latter. After beating them pretty bad, I picked them up and lugged them off to the police station. They are going to interrogate them tomorrow, wanna tag along Kenshin?"  
  
"Yes Sano, that I would." Kenshin stated as he continued eating. Someone was after his friend, but why? Sano hasn't racked up that much in gambling debts recently, has he? Even if he did, killing him was a bit much. Something didn't add up in this scenario; he didn't know what it was, but he would find out before it's too late.  
  
"So, what now?" Toma asked the auburn haired man in front of him. Both were sitting in a well-furnished Japanese teahouse simply discussing things like old friends to keep up appearances.  
  
"Well, that all depends on you, doesn't it?" Rokuji started. "We're in this together, since you bought this shipment. Now that your men are probably ransacking the ship after my assistant collected the payment for such a delivery, we are now free of business obligations to one another."  
  
"Good. I just want to finish this meal and never see your face again." Toma Higaku grunted before taking another sip of his green tea. "Where the hell is our food anyway? We ordered about 10 minutes ago."  
  
"Look around you; they are pretty busy around this hour. It is the middle of a dinner shift, after all. And your son said you were smart."  
  
"Don't bring Gendou into this." Toma sneered. If there was one person he truly cared for it was his son.  
  
"He is the one who brought us together, is he not? He's a good kid; thankfully he didn't get killed doing grunt work. Sad that it takes your own son to work his way up through the ranks just to be respected by his father." Yun smirked as he watched the man before him scowl.  
  
"You know nothing of it."  
  
"True, just what he tells me. But what he tells me is quite interesting; so interesting that I have a proposition for you." The Korean turned serious as he looked directly into the yakuza boss's eyes.  
  
"What might that be? A free trip to hell?"  
  
"No, but it could be beneficial to both of us. What if we join?"  
  
Toma spit out his tea to the side, the green mist covering a waitress who sighed in disgust. Yun handed her some yen and waved her off. "You're joking. We hate each other for gods sake."  
  
"Now we do, but you can pretty much own illegal smuggling into Japan if you team with me." Yun smirked  
  
"And what do you get?"  
  
"Influence over the Meiji government and the rights to be part of a much larger organized crime syndicate. You would still be in power, of course." Yun smirked.  
  
Toma looked up in thought and started to contemplate his options. With most of the illegal smuggling in Japan under his command he could do some serious damage to rival yakuza and make more money than he had ever dreamed of. But if they unite, then logically, this Korean would be in control or it would fall apart.  
  
"Agreed." Toma smiled as he held his hand out to the trader/smuggler before him. Yun took the hand and surprised Toma with the power behind his grip as they shook on it. A waitress came by.  
  
"Rokuji-san?" The young woman asked as she looked at the silver-eyed man.  
  
"Yes? What is it?"  
  
"This just came for you." The waitress said as she handed him an envelope.  
  
Yun thanked her as he opened it up and read the letter inside. Looking to the doorway, a slight smirk appeared on his lips. Motioning for the man to come forward and join them, the stranger agreed. His unruly silver hair cascading in every direction, he wore a western business suit and dark glasses on the lower bridge of his nose. An arrogant smirk with a glint of something off in his eyes greeted the two men.  
  
"Toma Higaku, meet my assistant, Enishi Yukishiro. He will be essential in helping us build this new empire."  
  
Notes:  
  
A yari is a 3-pronged spear on a long staff. The center prong is usually the longest and it makes for an excellent and lightweight weapon. A kamatari is a long chain with a Kama on one end and a counter weight on another. It can be thrown or used up close. Anubis from Ronin Warriors and Sango's brother on Inuyasha use one.  
  
A Kenshi is a swordsman who isn't a samurai.  
  
Okay, It started kind of slow, but this is just kind of a setup for things to come. It was pretty vague as well, but it's just a first draft.  
  
Who is Yun Rokuji? What is his plan? Why does he have a Japanese name if he's Korean?  
  
These will all be answered later (maybe chapter 3 or 4 so it might be a while)  
  
And what happened to Kenshin? It'll all be revealed later. 


End file.
